Piece of Cake: Duquesne Brothers, #3

By Jo Carey

Braden Duquesne has made his career playing heroes in Hollywood action films. He loves his job.

Solange Leblanc is a pastry chef with an impressive military resume.

When the Hollywood action star is mistaken for his twin brother—the senator, and kidnapped, his family sends the pastry chef to the rescue.

Piece of Cake is the third book in the Duquesne Brothers series.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jo Carey
• Release date: May 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201494544

Jo Carey

Jo Carey grew up in the Midwest but her curiosity and gypsy-spirit has kept her on the move. She's lived in eight US states and spent three years living in Ireland. She has always loved creature movies, so creatures and bugs often show up in her books. Jo, a former information security compliance guru, writes fast-paced, character-driven stories in a variety of genres from medical thrillers to space operas and cozy mysteries. Her novels are filled with humor, romance, and sometimes creatures or aliens, or maybe even all of the above. She often builds her stories around a strong female lead character surrounded by plenty of hunky male heroes. Jo's been under fire on a golf course and climbed out the roof of an elevator in the Netherlands. Life hasn't been boring. Now residing in Texas, setting often plays a huge role in her stories. Jo was intrigued by the League of Planetary Systems, a world her husband, Frank, created for his science fiction books, and she now writes mysteries and other types of tales sets in that world. Jo was bitten by a cat, a fire ant, and a snake, before succumbing to the bite of the writing bug.

Book preview

Chapter 1

You're bleeding, Louisa said, as she knelt beside Braden behind a piece of metal. Oh God. Don't die. I need you. With tears running down her face, she struggled out of her shirt. She wiped her eyes with it before leaning over and kissing Braden. She pulled back and tied her shirt around his waist over the bloody wound.

Braden moaned and pushed himself up. We've got to get out of here. Come on. He grimaced in pain but got to his feet and pulled Louisa with him. Braden kept her behind him and picked his way through the rubble and debris using it for cover.

Louisa looked down and saw blood was soaking through the shirt she had tied around the wound on his side. Your side is bleeding. We need to stop the bleeding.

Can't. Have to get out of here. Braden was headed toward the street that ran in front of the warehouse. He needed to get them to the car before he lost too much blood to continue. Charlotte, if I fall you have to keep going. Don't look...

There was a flash right in front of Braden, and he was knocked off his feet.

Cut. Get the EMTs in here now.

Get that fire out. Somebody call 911.

XXX

Braden was getting a little frustrated. No one was listening to him. Come on guys. Can we get it right this time, please. I don't want to miss my plane.

Don't want to keep Louisa waiting?

If it was just Louisa I wouldn't care, but this is family. I'm flying out tonight for my brother's wedding.

Another Duquesne bites the dust, huh? Seems like your days are numbered.

I don't think so, Braden said. Truth be told, he had thought about settling down. Wondered if he ever would. Now that all three of his brothers had found women they wanted to spend their lives with, he wondered if he should be thinking about his own future. It wasn't something he ever spent much time worrying about. He had plenty of money. He had achieved success in his chosen career. Beyond that, the future wasn't something he ever thought about.

I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere for a while, a female voice said.

Braden pushed himself up and his stomach churned. He squeezed his eyes shut and moaned. I need to get to the airport.

Mr. Duquesne. I'm Dr. Lowery. Do you remember what happened?

He shook his head. Oh. Bad idea.

There was an accident on set. An explosion.

Just the effects. Piece of cake. There are always lots of explosions in my films, he said.

There was definitely a problem this time. You have a concussion, burns on your back, and cuts and scrapes from shrapnel on your arms and neck. How do you feel?

I'll live. Was anyone else hurt? How is Louisa? She was with me.

I'm fine thanks to you, Louisa said as she breezed into the room. A little banged up. You protected me. She leaned over the bed and kissed him.

I'm glad no one else was hurt. Do they know what happened?

Still investigating, Louisa said.

I need to get to the airport. What do I need to sign to get out of here.

Mr. Duquesne, leaving the hospital right now isn't a good idea, and air travel should be delayed at least 48 hours.

Why?

You have a head injury.

I heard you the first time, doctor, but my twin brother is getting married, and I'm flying to New Hampshire tonight for the pre-wedding prep. Explain the risk. I already feel like crap. How will flying make it worse?

It may not, but right now you can't open your eyes. It would be impossible for you to navigate the airport without assistance. Is someone traveling with you?

Braden, I can come along, Louisa said. They'll probably shut down production for a few days anyway.

Thanks, but I'll make other arrangements. I wouldn't want my family to get the wrong idea. Actually it was Louisa he didn't want to get the wrong idea. Braden told her right up front that he wasn't looking for anything serious and if they dated it would be with no strings attached. She said she was looking for the same—just some companionship while they were on location or on set. It took a couple of days for him to realize she wanted a lot more than he was interested in providing.

Doc, I'm sure I can find someone. What else?

Airplane lighting may be painful for you.

No problem. I'll have them dim the lights.

I doubt they'll accommodate your request. They can't cater to just one passenger. Not even a big star like you.

They can when it's a private plane.

If you're not flying commercial then the biggest issue is that you may require assistance getting through the airport, and you shouldn't be alone at all for the next 24 hours. Any loss of consciousness requires immediate medical attention.

Got it. Do you have one of those handy sheets with all this on it?

Not your first injury? Dr. Lowery asked.

I star in action movies, and I grew up with three brothers. Not my first concussion either.

I'll go get the discharge paperwork prepared, but I still advise you to stay with us overnight. When he reached for the doctor's hand he saw the bandages on his own arms. Thank you, Doctor Lowery.

Once the door closed behind the doctor, Louisa stepped up beside the bed. It's not a problem for me to fly to New Hampshire with you. If you aren't ready to introduce me to your family, that's fine.

Louisa, we talked about this. I'm not ready for a serious relationship. You knew that. This is just casual—an on-set thing. I need to get my phone and some clothes. Just as the words left his mouth the door opened, and one of the production assistants from the film walked in carrying two bags.

You guys OK?

Fine, Louisa said. Is one of those mine?

Yeah. Figured you'd need your phones and some clothes for when they let you out of here.

Thank God, Louisa said. I'm tired of hiding from the press.

You can't give a statement yet, Braden said as Louisa took the bag the assistant held out to her. We don't know what happened. There'll be an investigation.

I'm leaving, Louisa said.

Just hand me my phone, and I'll take care of my arrangements, Braden told the young production assistant. You'd better go stop her.

Thanks, Braden. The guy pulled out Braden's phone and handed it over before rushing out the door after Louisa.

Chapter 2

Those look yummy, Mckenna said, leaning over Skylar's shoulder to get a closer look at her laptop screen. Who are they and why are they on your laptop?

Those are the Duquesne brothers—four gorgeous, billionaire brothers. They were all bachelors until a few months ago. The youngest one is married now, and I just scored an invite to the wedding of this one. She pointed to Caden on screen.

Mckenna leaned in for a closer look. Is that Braden Duquesne the actor?

Yep. Duke, the oldest brother owns Duquesne Protection the largest private security firm in the country. The youngest, Tate, owns Locutius Technology. Then there are the twins—Braden, the actor, and Caden the lawyer who is now a US Senator. In addition to their separate businesses, they recently started a joint venture developing high-end, high-tech friendly condominiums.

So why are you cyber stalking the hotties? Mckenna asked. You're usually more hands on.

I've been invited to cover the senator's wedding next week.

Well aren't you special. Need someone to schlep your luggage?

Sorry, just me.

I just stopped by to see if you were coming out for drinks tonight, Mckenna said.

I'll see you at Rumor's. Save me a barstool.

After Mckenna left, Skylar dug into her research. She had already pulled background information on the bride and groom because they were both competitors in the recent search and rescue competition she covered. Skylar searched social media for any recent posts about the wedding participants or the wedding itself. She found very little.

She thought back to the plane crash in New Mexico that occurred at the end of the search and rescue competition. Ivy Sorenson, the bride, and Caden Duquesne, her groom, were the first to reach the site of the crash. They tended to the survivors until more rescuers arrived the next morning. Earlier that week, she'd seen the two of them together. Maybe they were keeping a low profile because of his political position, she thought. After the rescue, each of them praised the other for their role in what happened. They were definitely media darlings at this point. Any coverage of them would be assured a big audience.

She opened a new document and started a list of questions to use in her interviews. With the Duquesnes and Jacinta Pickering involved there were a lot of potential stories to do. She went back and looked at the piece she did on the SaR competition. It was a fluff piece, but it was well done, and those Duquesne men were born to be on camera. After this wedding, only Braden and the oldest brother would be single. Braden had a reputation as a Hollywood playboy. He seemed to have a relationship with each of his costars during filming, and then moved on when he started the next film with a new leading lady. He hadn't seemed particularly flirty at the competition. Of course, there weren't many women involved. Maybe he just didn't find an option he liked.

She wondered if she should feel annoyed or blessed that he didn't seem interested enough to bother flirting with her. Although all of the Duquesne brothers were well known because of their business success, Braden was the one most people knew because of his career as an actor. It seemed the public didn't care about his reputation as a playboy. He was single and had never been in any trouble that she could find. He just didn't seem to be interested in a long-term relationship with the same woman. Maybe she'd asked him about that when she interviewed him at the wedding.

Chapter 3

Skylar pulled her suitcase behind her out onto the tarmac. Two large imposing men dressed in what Skylar had learned was the standard uniform for Duquesne Protection stood beside the plane. Hello Ms. Pembroke. We'll get your luggage loaded. Take anything you need to access during the flight. Sky nodded with her phone still pressed to her ear.

Care to explain how you got this upgrade? Mckenna asked once Skylar was buckled into her seat.

I got a call from Jacinta Pickering. Braden Duquesne was injured on the set of his latest movie. I'm not sure I got the details straight, but Braden was going to be flying in for the wedding tonight. The accident was just this morning. I'm not sure what happened, but they didn't want him to travel alone. I guess I'll find out more as the day progresses.

When the pilot announced they were free to move around the cabin, one of the bodyguards approached. You can help yourself to drinks or snacks in the galley. We'll be landing in a couple of hours to pick up Braden.

OK. Thanks. Skylar went to the galley where she fixed herself a cup of coffee. Back in her seat, Skylar pulled out her laptop and typed in some notes. She had no idea how seriously Braden Duquesne had been injured. She figured it couldn't be too bad or they wouldn't let him travel at all, but it was serious enough that his family didn't want him to travel alone.